This tank will not have water in it until at least 4-1-2010, my dealership is changing locations due to Saturn going out of business and a 2 year old 4 million dollar facility not being used!!!. So unlike all of my other tanks where I purchase stuff and just throw it together I will have a bit of time to discuss and plan what I want to do. I am looking for as much advice or ideas as possible so let em rip.
I currently have my Mini-M and wanted to upgrade. That tank will (after the move) be in my sales managers office as a low tech tank.
So here is the breakdown. I will highlight in a different color the items I have not bought and am still deciding on, these are the top choices or the couple im debating.
Tank- ADA 60-P
Filter- Eheim 2215 or 2217
Light- Fishneedit 70w HQI Metal Halide
Substrate- ADA AS Ammazonia Regular/Powder
Plants- UNDECIDED
Fauna- CRS/CBS (might stay in the mini m) Some small fish...
I will have to check again when I go to the new office to snoop and choose my actual office location but I believe that there will be a spot I can keep the tank and equipment. If not I will just have to build one. Its not like I don't have enough time.
I really want to get some manzanita and do a tree with fissidens. I think that would be gorgeous in the contemporary office. Other then that I have no ideas really/
Get eheim 2217 =) With all the plants i have grown in my 60P im still lacking circulation. I'm thinking about adding a power head. Or I can just clean out my filter..
I had a fishneedit 70w MH but it was just too bright for me. My tank is in front of my bed so it was hard to sleep with turned on.
If you need plants let me know, I have all kinds =)
Yeah you know the old saying its better to have too much... then not enough. I was contemplating using the code on the DRS website to get a XP3 but I just don't like the fact that I wont get the filter substrate with it. A 2217 is about $150 and I think that's fair for what you get. I also think that will do a great job as a reactor for the co2. How do you dissolve your carbon in the tank?
Im super stoked about the MH as this will be my first foray into the MH segment of lighting the planted tank. Ive had/have about every other method and think this is will not only give me the best look light spectrum wise but also keep with the contemporary style im going for.
I think you'd be really happy with the 2215. Like I said in the other thread, I've got a 2217 on my 60-P with CRS, and for the shrimp to be happy, I have to keep it throttled down pretty far.
Well after much thought and research I think im going to have to pass on the HQI MH lighting option. It seemd that the spread will not be optimal at the height I need to keep the intensity where I need it to be for a 70w fixture and in order to get a good spread with a 150w fixture I would have to have the light so high it wold blind people in my office. Im sad but not too sad as I have talked with Jim at Catalina aquariums and he will be building me a specialized 24" 4x24w T5HO fixture with hanging brackets for this tank. I think I will stick with the same Geismann Aquaflora X2 and Midday X2 that I have in my 37g. I will say this though the cost of some 6700k GE starcoats is tempting. Does anyone have any experience with them?
I have ordered the 2217 and should be getting it here in the next few days hopefully by mid week. I am also contemplating getting only a 2x34w t5ho and not a 4x24w th50 from Catalina. I have a 4x24 on my 37 that is almost twice as tall as this tank and grow anything I want pretty much with ease. Any feedback?
I already talked to Jeff and since I already bought from them before he will give me a great deal. I just don't know if I need all that light, I always follow the shcool of thought that more is better but maybe 48w is already more.
Well in my 18 inch tall tank, 2x39 watts T5HO wasn't enough, so last night I tried to run three bulbs (a four bulb fixture), but the ballast won't work that way (2 ballasts running 2 bulbs each, both bulbs have to be in for a ballast to work), so I raised the light up a few inches and I am running 4 now. Hopefully it won't be too much to handle. I wasn't having any algae problems with running 2x39 watts, but my colorata wouldn't color up, so I'm seeing if more watts is what I need.
Just checked, 14" tall. I just can't decide, I would hate to be under lite. I guess I'll just have to get the 4x24 and run the second bank fir only a short time or just alternate banks daily or weekly.
You should be able to grow anything at all with 2x24watts of t5. Keep your reflectors clean and your tubes and you'd be flying. 4x 24 would give you redundancy really. T5's really do give an awful ammount of light.
I couldn't decide on which fixture to order so I just ordered the 3x24w 24" fixture from Catalina with the hanging hooks installed.
I also ordered some DW today from Jake (badcop) and should hopefully be getting that in the next couple of days. I have a hard scape planned in my head, now lets just see if I can bring it to reality.
Now all I need is my light which should be here at the beginning of next week!
I'm going to go tomorrow and hopefully get all of the materials I need to build an ADA style stand for his bad boy. I'm also going to do the light hanging system as outlined by a few members but I believe I will use 2 bars for ease of bending. Shouldn't be too bad.
My Light is due in tomorrow and I received my wood from Jake at centerpiece aquatics a few days ago. Everything is looking like its going to work out beautifully.
I have a call to make tomorrow to a granite supplier to see if I can maybe stop by their shop and see if I can grab some scraps for the tank. If I can I think this will not only be a beautiful scape but also a very original and fresh take on our hobby today.
Im going to have a foreground of Staurogyne sp. 'Tropica' and trithura sp. Pretty much the same plants I have in my mini m right now. I cant decide on fauna though. Fish would be nice but with the amounts of co2 ill be injecting and it not having a top I think ill have too many dried fish on the floor. I also dont know if ill put my crs in here for the same reasons as the fish not sounding too good.
The light came in the mail today and it looks phenomenal! Already has the hanging brackets in it and is ready to be mounted up.
I spoke with the owner of a Granite fab shop and he told me that I could come by whenever I wanted to rummage through their scrap section. I'm really excited about this and hopefully I will be able to fine some unique pieces that will look amazing in the tank. I really have no idea what im looking for color shape or even what my design will be but I am open to suggestions.
When I ordered my AS I also ordered some power sand special. I have never used it but Jeff from ADG said that it was almost as important as the AS itself.
I like the look of the S. 'Tropica', I have some of the S. 'Purple' in my mini-m and love the look of it, but it doesn't stay low like the 'Tropica' & 'Puerto vehlo' (sp?) varieties.
Did you end up with the three bulb fixture, or four? Your original plan got me thinking about hanging a MH over the 60P... I'm probably going to be using a chiller anyway so heat build up won't be an issue. Still undecided though.
I'm looking forward to seeing what you come back from the granite shop with. Pretty cool of the owner to let you "rummage" for scraps
Took a few pics of the Wood scape choices today. What do you think and what would you do with the extras? I am trying to think of a way to secure all of it down. Like with silicon and some thin rock, maybe to small chunks of Granite I have soaking in the cooler in my garage?!?!/
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